Easy Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Servings: 8 servings (1 cup each)
Calories: 154kcal
Sweet apple cider infused with warming spices and lots of cinnamon is the perfect soul-warming drink for cool weather. Easy and adaptable recipe. Add a little rum or bourbon for an adult-friendly spiked apple cider that'll warm you up even more. EASY - This easy recipe is more of a guide, and can be adjusted and adapted to your preferences and for what you have available. Have fun with the flavors!
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Ingredients
- 8 cups apple cider 2 quarts / about 2 L
- ½ lemon zest without pith
- 1 orange will be separated into zest and segments
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup gold rum (optional) increase up to 1 ½ cups, if you like. See recipe notes for non-alcoholic options
Mulling spices
- 4 cinnamon sticks not optional
- ½ tsp whole cloves not optional
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 10 - 12 cardamom pods
- ⅕ of a nutmeg or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 inch ginger sliced
- ½ tbsp whole peppercorns optional (or adjust to your taste)
- 1 star anise I do not use this, but you can add it to your cider if you like the flavor of licorice
Brown sugar cinnamon whipped cream (optional)
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream about 240 mL
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 generous pinch sea salt
- 3 - 4 tbsp brown sugar adjust to your liking
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For garnish
- Apple slices
- Orange slices
- Cinnamon sticks
Instructions
Prepare the spices and aromatics
- Measure and place all your spices in a bowl. You can leave out or reduce the black peppercorns. Please, adjust the spices to your liking.4 cinnamon sticks, ½ tsp whole cloves, 1 tsp allspice berries, 10 - 12 cardamom pods, ⅕ of a nutmeg, ½ tbsp whole peppercorns
- Peel and slice the ginger into thick slices.1 inch ginger
- OPTIONAL - Place the spices (except for the cinnamon) in a metal spice infuser or cheesecloth pouch. This is not needed, but just an optional step.
- Peel ½ a lemon to get the zest for the cider. Take care not to include the pith as this can make the cider bitter.½ lemon zest
- Repeat with the orange to get the zest.1 orange
- Next, carefully cut away the white pith until only the orange segments are visible. Set aside.
Make the apple cider
- Place the apple cider, lemon zest, orange zest, orange segments, and the spices (including the cinnamon sticks) in a large pot.8 cups apple cider, ½ lemon zest, 1 orange, 4 cinnamon sticks, ½ tsp whole cloves, 1 tsp allspice berries, 10 - 12 cardamom pods, ⅕ of a nutmeg, 1 inch ginger , ½ tbsp whole peppercorns
- Heat over medium high heat and bring the apple cider to a simmer. Stir frequently.
- When the apple cider starts to boil, cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat until the cider is barely simmering.
- Let it simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes. Check on it periodically to make sure it's not boiling and is still barely simmering. Adjust the heat as you go.
- Once the cider has simmered for about 20 - 30 minutes, let it cool down slightly until it can be handled.
- Before serving (while the cider is simmering or cooling down), slice some oranges, and apples for decoration and garnish.
- Strain the cider to remove the spices, zest, and orange segments. Do not squeeze the orange segments.
- Stir in the maple syrup to sweeten the apple cider to your liking. Add a little at a time and taste until it's sweet to your liking.⅓ cup maple syrup
For spiked warm apple cider
- Add the gold rum (or alternative) while the apple cider is warm. Stir to mix.1 cup gold rum
- You can also add non -alcoholic rum or whiskey instead, or rum extract.
Serving warm spiced apple cider
- Place slices of oranges and apples in mugs or glasses.Apple slices, Orange slices
- Pour the warm spiced apple cider in each of the glasses and top with cinnamon sticks or a stirrer.Cinnamon sticks
- OPTIONAL - Top the cider with the whipped cream, and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Brown sugar cinnamon whipped cream (optional)
- Make this just before you serve the apple cider, as whipped cream is not stable on its own.
- In a bowl, place the chilled whipped cream, vanilla, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon.1 cup chilled heavy cream, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 generous pinch sea salt, 3 - 4 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Whisk on medium or medium high speed until you have soft peaks.
- Use immediately.
Notes
Slow cooker instructions
Place the same ingredients in your slow cooker or crockpot. Cover and set the heat setting to low. Let it cook for about 2 hours. Since the cider will be heated for a longer time here, you may want to reduce the spicier spices (ginger and black pepper) a little, especially if you're sensitive to spicy heat.Storage and make ahead instructions
Notes about oranges
You can just add a whole orange as well. But to reduce the amount of sugar I add, I like to avoid adding the pith as it can add a little bitterness to the cider otherwise. Since blood oranges are also in season during the colder months, I like to add those as well. This will make the flavor slightly different and the spiced cider will have a very light pink hue.Nutmeg
You can use ground nutmeg, or use a microplane grater to ground nutmeg as well. Here, I crush a piece of nutmeg to break it into pieces, and use a small piece in the cider.How to choose your spices for apple cider
Substitutions for rum (Optional)
Alcoholic substitutions
- Whiskey
- Bourbon
- Brandy
Non-alcoholic substitutions
- Rum extract (read the extract instructions to find out how much to add, as the flavor will be stronger in an extract)
- Non-alcoholic rum or whiskey
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 0.3mg